Stephen Reddy, DDS
Retired Dentist, Unreconstructed Dodger Fan, and Resident of God's Country
A version of this article originally appeared in the October 14, 2022 issue of the Carmel Pine Cone.After seeing tens of thousands of patients over the course of his 42-years as a dentist, Dr. Stephen Reddy recounted what led him on the path to becoming a Doctor of Dental Surgery, how he achieved his goal, and the changes in the practice of dentistry that he saw and participated in during his career spanning two score and two years.
While experiencing tooth pain in his teens (the result of over-serving himself sweets), Stephen was taken to a dentist by his mother. The supposition they had arrived at on their own was correct: he had multiple cavities. As the ever-observant Stephen noted what a dentist’s job consisted of, it appealed to him. That thought solidified when he turned 18, and he made the decision to pursue a career in that field. After nine years of schooling — which consisted of four years earning his bachelor’s degree in Biology from La Sierra University in Riverside; one year acquiring his master’s degree in Environmental Health Science from California State University, North Ridge; and four years of dental school in Loma Linda — Stephen became Dr. Reddy, DDS. The government paid Stephen’s way through dental school via an Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship, which was awarded him after receiving his degrees — on the condition that he repay them by spending his first five years as a dentist in their service. The government made direct payments to the school each month, and also provided Reddy with $400 per month living expenses.
Reddy fulfilled his obligation to the Army at Fort Riley in Kansas, Camps Edwards and Howze in South Korea, and Fort Ord in Seaside. He spent his first year at the base at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he did a general practice residency, rotating through the various specialties in dentistry.
His second year was served in South Korea, five miles from the demilitarized zone at the border with North Korea. He lived at Camp Edwards, and worked at the army’s dental office at Camp Howze nearby. During his time there, Reddy visited the site where the armistice between North and South Korea had been signed in 1953. He recalls that he was close enough to a North Korean guard patrolling the DMZ there that if not for the pane of glass separating them, he could have reached out and touched the unsmiling, stern-looking sentinel.
Reddy says that he suffered from nostomania (intense homesickness) during his year in South Korea, and calls it the longest year of his life. He had a map of the country divided into 365 segments, and would fill one in each day to monitor his progress through time. Contributing to his aversion to the situation was an experience he had while out in the field on maneuvers with his fellow soldiers: A typhoon hit, forcing them to take refuge for a week in a spartan South Korean marine barracks. They had no showers or toilets there. To get a semblance of a shower, they finally resorted to pouring a coffee can full of (cold) water over themselves. As for sustenance, they survived on C-Rations for the entire week.
Reddy’s final three years of his military commitment were served at Ford Ord in Seaside. This was the Los Angelino’s introduction to Monterey County, a place he refers to as “God’s Country,” where he has lived ever since.
There are several reasons Reddy waxes poetic about the area: its moderate climate, low crime rate, proximity to the ocean, abundant trees, and because it is not overly large, having a small-town feel. He also enjoys the variety and quality of the restaurants on the peninsula, and the wharf in Monterey (he resides in the Deer Flats area outside Monterey). Reddy spent his post-military career working for Dental Concepts and Orthodontics in Salinas, a work environment he found pleasant due to the majority of his patients being nice, hardworking, down-to-earth, honest, and appreciative people.
All told, Reddy devoted over half a century to the dental profession: nine years of schooling followed by 42 years of practice.
Reddy possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of oral pathology (the science of the causes and effects of diseases of the mouth). He chose dentistry over medicine because of not wanting to deal with the death of patients. His knowledge of pathology was not merely academic though, as he used it to help his dental patients on various occasions; he did this by urging them to seek a medical diagnosis when, based on their appearance and symptoms, they seemed to be suffering from a particular ailment.
In addition to his role as a working dentist, Reddy instructed Dental Hygienists for 15 years at Cabrillo College in Aptos. He also taught Oral Pathology and Pharmacology there. Reddy’s students got a kick out of it when he warned them that some of their patients would occasionally be rectalgia-inducing (i.e., in medical terminology, they could at times be “a pain in the butt”). Rectalgia became the catchword of the class, being applied to anything negative. One student even applied the word to herself, saying, “I’m a rectalgia!”
Reddy, always genuinely concerned about the welfare of others, recommends that you see a dentist first if you have problems with your mouth, as dentists are not just experts on teeth, but the entire mouth (“oral cavity” in dental lingo).
The biggest difference Reddy observed in the practice of dentistry from the start of his career until his recent retirement was conventional X-rays being replaced by digital radiography. The primary benefit of this change is that the patient is exposed to less radiation with digital X-rays. Another advantage is that digital x-rays are generated instantaneously and sent directly to a computer screen rather than having to wait for the X-rays to be processed before the results can be viewed.
Another new thing is the use of electronic medical records rather than paper copies of data, as was the norm when Steve started in the profession.
Yet another change regards dental implants. If a patient is missing a tooth, it is no longer necessary for them to be fitted with a bridge. An implant can be surgically placed and three-to-six months later, a crown placed on it.
As for the future, using stem cells to create a new tooth is being researched. Using this technology, the patient’s body would be helped to grow a new tooth rather than have one implanted.
Also, there’s more of an emphasis on oral hygiene and preventive dentistry today than there was in former decades.
Reddy is a huge Los Angeles Dodgers fan. Knowing that, I asked him whether he would come out of retirement if his favorite player, Sandy Koufax, were to approach him and ask him to perform some dental work that he needed. Reddy laughed and said, “No; when I’m done, I’m done. I wouldn’t even come out of retirement for Sandy Koufax.”
You can read and download other writings of mine here.